Manga

Alice in the Country of Hearts

Just minutes after having a disturbing dream about games, an older and more cynical version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice is involuntarily pushed down the rabbit hole by a gorgeous boy with white rabbit ears. The Wonderland she lands in is indeed filled with other gorgeous men, but it’s not the paradise that one might expect; it’s the playing ground of a mysterious philosophical game that Alice is soon forced into. The country is also in the middle of a civil war and none of the natives can be trusted, for many seem to harness secret motives involving Alice. She is warned that the best thing for her to do is stay away from them, but if she wants to win the game and go home, she has to interact with the eccentric locals!

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New in Japan

Sparrow’s Hotel – First Impressions

First, the animation was just plain awful. Its only possible mark of quality was that it was in color. The movement was terribly awkward and the character designs did not fit the environment. The musical opening was also pretty unmemorable and did nothing to even remotely explain the anime. Once I regained my composure from the animation and accepted it, the plot – if we can even call this a plot – kicked in.

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Anime

Devil May Cry

The world is relatively at peace…except for the occasional demon that slips through the demonic realm and into our world to cause a little chaos. They don’t last long, though, because Dante is back for more demon hunting, a little debt, more pizza and strawberry sundaes, as well as a few new friends and some old acquaintances.

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Miki

Arata: The Legend: First Impressions

One boy named Arata is tasked by the matriarch of his tribe to stall for time at the ceremony to become the next princess of the fantasy world of Amawakuni so a more suitable candidate can be found. The other is a first year high school student bullied and betrayed by his “friends,” first back in middle school, and now by someone else he trusted.

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New in Japan

Ketsuekigata-kun!: First Impressions

A narrator begins the Blood Type Quiz and asks which blood type doesn’t show their feelings when in love. What follows is a series of VERY short scenes, giving each anthropomorphized blood type a chance to show their characteristics.

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New in Japan

Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live: First Impressions

I picked up this anime not expecting a whole lot from a show about rainbows, dancing, and singing featuring a thirteen year old. Set in modern day and very much geared for the pre-teen or teen demographic, Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live (PRRL) is a show blending the magical girl and music idol genres with a bit of a twist. It’s bright, it’s happy, and it’s fun, but it lacks much depth which means one must be content with the what-you-see-is-what-you-get sparkles, copious amounts of rainbows, and numerous hearts.

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Kuroi

Flowers of Evil: First Impressions

I initially agreed to pick this up because of the director, Hiroshi Nagahama, who directed two of my favorites – Detroit Metal City and Mushi-shi – and the premise sounded interesting – psychological slice-of-life teenage drama. There’s a lot here to turn off potential viewers – the art style contrasts highly detailed backgrounds with character designs

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